The Spot Blog

"It just isn't going to work for me," Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, said of the latest proposed map.

Earlier, the Democratic Senate president and the Republican House speaker traded their harshest barbs yet in talking about why close-door negotiations in the governor's office broke down.

President Brandon Shaffer, of Longmont, and Speaker Frank McNulty of Highlands Ranch, each blamed the other.

"He's playing the blame game, and the rest of us are trying to be the adults in the room," Shaffer said. "He's not been sincere in bringing forth maps that are competitive."

"If he says I'm being an impediment he's lying," McNulty countered.

He said the problem was the Senate president wanted to draw himself a congressional district where he could win a seat.

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Minority Leader Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, called for bills to be read at length after talking to Majority Leader John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, about the House GOP redistricting bill headed their way. He asked Morse if he was going to schedule a committee hearing ont he bill.

"Probably not," Morse replied, later noting said there was no point because Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on a new map.

With bills having to be read at length — one was 73 pages — Democrats retaliated by moving Republican bills to the end of the calendar.

Republicans agreed to withdraw their procedural manuever after Democrats agreed to schedule the bill for a hearing.

The drama followed a wild debate in the Senate late Monday on the Democrats' proposed redistricting map. By debating past midnight without taking a vote, Senate Bill 268 was basically dead.

Republicans accused Democrats of filibustering to kill their own measure. Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, yelled "Stalling!" as Democrats came to the microphone. Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, played the theme song from "Jeopardy!" over and over again on his iPad.

"It's been a disgusting, despicable display of disengenous legislation," Kopp said, at a news conference Tuesday.

Republicans say they believe it was the Democrats' intent all along to go to courts, hoping a liberal judge will draw them a friendly map.

But Democrats for weeks have placed the blame on Republicans, saying the GOP drew legislative maps designed to give Republicans victories in five of seven congressional districts even though the public has said it wants competitive districts.

"We're not going to be forced into a gerrymandered map that benefits Republican candidates and makes congressmen for life," Shafer said.

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

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